Rights Organizations Slam Violence against Students

A number of rights organizations condemned violence against university students, as a result of expressing their opinions inside the Egyptian universities. They said that these actions are flagrant violations against students in the way they manage their affairs.

The organizations asserted that many violations took place at the Egyptian universities. Among them was Helwan University, where three students had been arrested and others had been referred to investigations, because a group of guards’ leaders had insulted and assaulted Mustafa Shawqi and Nagi Kamel, students at Helwan Faculty of Engineering, because of their activities regarding the tuition hikes issue, and their criticism towards the poor services in return for these tuitions.

The students had been investigated for hanging banners without permission from specialized administrative bodies; these banners were denouncing the tuition hikes without legal basis.

The organizations censured the stances of the universities presidents and the Ministry of Higher Education which allow the security to determine the standards of the university and academic life according to the mentality of the security. They claimed the cancel or amendment of the text of article 317 from the law regulations of universities organization, which permit the security to intervene in everything, alleged ‘the security of the university’, describing this statement as “roundabout”, and that it has allowed all violations.

The rights organizations stressed on the students’ rights of freedom in opinion and expression, under the Egyptian constitution and the International Covenant for civil and political rights, which is legally binding for the government. They asked the Ministry of Interior and its apparatuses to stop these practices and this “scandalous” situation, which are flagrant violations of the Egyptian and international laws.